Valdosta Mayor John Gayle recognized the winners in the 2019 “If I Were Mayor” Sixth-Grade Essay Contest at a recent Valdosta City Council meeting. 

The contest, sponsored by the Georgia Municipal Association and the City of Valdosta, encourages local sixth graders to creatively use their language art skills and civics knowledge to express, in 350 words or less, how they would make a difference if they held the city’s top elected position, city officials said. 

Each year, students from city and county schools, as well as home schools, compete in the contest, producing some award-winning essays and well-thought-out ideas for the community, city officials said.

Students read their winning essays at the meeting in front of the mayor, City Council members and others. The 2019 winners are all students of Deanna Barham and Pam Rickman at the St. John Catholic School:

• First Place: Chandler Monetti.

• Second Place: Ray Moody.

• Third Place: Henry Hamilton.

• 4th Place: Patrick Wallace.